Need My Friends’ Help!

Hey, first I want to say I’m really sorry about your stepdad. Father’s day is going to be hard for my dad this year too because my grampa just passed away. He’s taking it really hard.

Ok, so a story about my dad… really I’m not a good storyteller but when I think about my dad I think about the strickest humanbeing on earth who spoils me to death. I think about ice cream in the park. I think about the person who’s lap I sat on till I was 14. I think about piggyback rides. I think about hugs. I think about the best guy I know, and I think about the man I love the most in this world.

That’s a sweet picture of you and your stepdad. If you lived closer, I would make you a load of cookies right now. And help you eat them.

When I was little, this boy made fun of my freckles. I have constellations of freckles – all over my face and arms. I’d never really cared until that random punk started teasing me. I went home and cried over it. When my dad asked what was wrong, I told him I didn’t want freckles anymore. He said: “But a face without freckles is like a sky without stars.” Like it was the truest thing in the world and I’d just forgotten it. Because I grew up in The Land of the Tanning Bed, I went back to his words very often as a teenager. I still go back to it pretty often. I wasn’t pretty the way most girls back home were – tall and tan, summer pretty. I’m short, with a bunch of star-freckles. Thanks to my dad, I’m fine with that 🙂

My dad also gave me a fart machine one year for Valentine’s Day (remote-controlled!). But that’s perhaps not the type story you’re looking for.

To be quite honest, my relationship with my father is complicated. It really has always been. I wouldn’t say we are as close as some father-daughter relationships are, but we do share a especially strong bond when it comes to music. My dad is an extremely talented musician and music has always been one of his passions. He kinda lent this passion over to me too.

So, my favorite story/memory that I shared with my dad was probably when I was eleven. My church was hosting this big praise and worship seminar, including people from all over the country giving talks on God and their testamonies. My dad was in charge of the music, and he chose a handful of people from our church choir to help him sing, and, after my perstintence, he gave in and let me join too.
The seminar was almost over, and most of the choir had dispersed to go into discussion groups. I, of course, was only a kid so my spot was just a little corner on the stage, where I waited patiently for everyone to be done. Then suddenly, my dad came over, and sat down at the piano. He looked over at me with a smile on his face. He motioned to the microphone and said, “Do you want to sing with me?”
My heart was beating so fast. My music idol was asking me to sing with him? I nodded and went up and sang as loud and clear as I could. It was just me and my dad. It was one of the best feelings in the world. The song ended, the room grew quiet, and no one really said anything. I glanced over at my dad, and he just grinned at me. That was all the seal of approval that I needed.

It’s a long story, but one of my funniest dad memories happened a few years back. A friend had dropped me off at the BART (public transit in SF bay area) station in San Francisco. My dad works in the city and our plan was to catch similar timed trains so we could carpool home from our stop. There are about 8 train cars on each train during rush hour, so when I got on one towards the end, I knew I’d need to walk through a few before I’d find my dad.

Walked through the first car, no luck. The second one, just as full of strangers. The third one though, was FULL. Standing room only, the aisles filled with people. As I pushed my way through the crowd, I started hearing something. (just a quick preface, my dad loves to sing. In church, his tone deaf voice echoes above the rest.) So as I continued my quest for my father, and the voice got louder and louder, I started to put two and two together.

When I tapped him, the man singing at the top of his lungs on BART, on the shoulder, he looked up with no surprise in his eyes. Everyone around looked at me with relief and thanks as he lowered his voice, pulled his earphones out, and stowed his iPod.

“Goose! I knew I could sing you to me!” he said, giving me a hug and offering me his saved seat.

My dad didn’t get married until he was 34, and he married a girl who was 19 years his junior, yes, she was all of not quite 16. Dad was a big jokester, so you never knew what to expect when he was around. He took his new bride to Texas to visit his brother, for their honeymoon. On the train, someone asked him if the young woman with him was his ‘little girl’ and he told them yes, and never told them any difference.

In 1972, we were going west a ways, to buy some furniture. We stopped at a little gas station, where my husband and I always bought gas, to fill up the truck. Dad payed the guy, and just stuck the changed in his pocket. When we got out at the truck, a little later, dad went to put the money in his wallet. He counted it, and found the guy had overpaid him a $1. Most people would have not worried about it, but on the way back, dad stopped, filled up the truck again, and gave the guy the $1. As long lived near there, that attendant remembered my dad, and mentioned it when we would stop.

My dad is the most talented guy I know. He’s really into sports he was in the Olympics & the whole nine.
So a good memory is when I was in second grade there was a spelling bee. I was like nervous out of my tiny brain. My dad is really competitive & he told me I would do amazing and if I just focused on the word I’d do fine. He even sang a song with me to make me laugh. Since he’s not a really talented Singer. In the end I won & he was so proud of me! <33

Oh wow, I have SO many stories I hardly know where to start! Some are rather inappropriate, Dad has never been one to mince words. Or do anything considered “normal”.
My Dad is a chiropractor and he used to do house calls to his Amish patients. They’re very conservative and quiet. I remember when I was about 11 Dad brought me with him on one of these house calls. The Amish family seemed rather taken aback by Dad (I really was amazed he kept any of his Amish patients) as he proceeded to tell them about his brilliant plan to stop people from using heroine. (Dad’s mind works in strange ways, I have no idea why he was planning this.) He said he was going to take cayenne pepper, bleach it and mix it with a shipment of heroine. Why he felt the need to tell this innocent Amish family that, I do not know.
More recently my Dad had been asked to teach children’s church while the regular children’s pastor was away. Dad showed up for church in a dress. And wig. He possibly scarred some children for life. For some reason he was asked to teach again, and this time he came as a flying squirrel. More appropriate I suppose. Yet weird.
Dad has always given me great advice as well. For example; “never chew on burning wood….you’ll go blind” (from the alcohol in it or something like that). And of course “don’t smoke trees, your lungs will look like the inside of our chimney” (it was due for a cleaning). Then there was the day he staggered blindly into my room and informed me “don’t look into strobe lights”. I would be so lost without his wisdom! 🙂
My Dad is also very creative. He was in charge of a bike race in our town, and needed to check on the condition of the roads. He decided it would be best to do this on a bike. But then what if he needed to work on the road? Well, he solved this problem by attaching a leaf blower to the front of his bike, a broom to the back, and he added a special creation to hold a shovel on the back of it. He was quite the sight.
Life is never boring with Dad around. I have tons more stories, but I wouldn’t want to bore you. Or scare you too badly. 🙂 He’s a very special guy!

Usually my dad is quiet and reserved.However, every once in awhile my dad gets a crazy streak and there is nothing we can do to stop him.

The worst incident of this happened about 10 or so years ago. It was March, around St. Patrick’s Day. We had gone to visit my dad’s home town. We didn’t realize when we planned the outing that the town would be having their St. Patty’s Day Parade.

We were waiting at a stop light watching the the parade go by. As the parade finished crossing the intersection, the light turned green. My dad turned behind the parade, rolled down his window, and started to wave and shout, “Hello! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Thanks for coming to the parade!” My mom, my brother, and I were terrified and cracking up at the same time. The only thing that could have made it funnier is if we had brought candy!

Now my family and I talk about it and laugh. It was so funny and I am never going to forget it. I think sometimes you have to just live in the moment… and keep candy in your car.

I definately get my sense of humor from my daddy and I love him for it.
My favorite “funny” moment of his this week is when we were at a meeting for a mission trip we’re going on and I was in the front and he was in the back.
The pastor started talking about modesty and said that all girls need a one-piece bathing suit.
To which a voice quips up in the back with “which piece?”
We all giggle but it’s not until I hear “Cause I only have tops” that I realize it’s my dad and turn bright red as everyone busts out laughing.
It’s been like a week and my friends still greet me with “I only have tops!”
My daddy can always make me, and others of course, laugh 🙂

I get my stubborness from my dad. and unfortunately I get a reminder of it everyday. I teach junior high. I have been “promoted” or “encourages” to teach math only over the past 3 years now. I specialize in special education and none of the other sped teachers want the math classes. Anyway, my dad can’t get over and is still highly concerned with the fact that I am teaching math. He is concerned because we spent many nights through high school batteling it out over a math book. “Don’t try to squeeze the whole problem on one line,” “you can’t skip steps or you make more mistakes,” “sit up and show your work,” “plug your answer in and check you work,”…etc. etc. Needless to say, I was no math wiz. He stuck with me for four years…despite my unwillingness and today I am thankful. I hear myself saying the same thing to my students daily that he said to me….reminding me to hang in there, they’ll get it eventually. I did. It just took 18 years!

I’m going to cheat and share one more thing. My mother passed away when I was 7. She actually died on Father’s Day that year. My dad stepped up and played both parental roles without missing a beat. He’s always been a vital part of my life and a great example for me.
One of my most amazing memories of my dad…he fixed breakfast for use every other morning. Pancakes, waffles, frenchtoast, muffins, bacon and eggs…etc. He also packed my lunch everyday for 12 years. Never forgot. He now spoils my daughter. Getting her donuts when he’s in town is his signature breakfast. He’s definitely one of a kind.

My dad is the absolute greatest father ever. He’s a writer, and everything he does is over the top, imaginative and crazy… which makes it okay that my mom has to assemble all the furniture we ever buy and program the tv remote.

I think one of the funniest moments I remember with me and my dad would have to be from an insanely long car trip, me made with my 2 month old brother, from California palm trees to Kansas praries. If you have ever made this trip you know two things are inevitable, 1) It is flat after Colorado, a Tree is your new mountain and 2) there will be a ton of signs directing you to wonders of the world such as 6 legged lambs, and the world’s biggest rocking chair.

One of the signs we saw about 500 miles away, and every 50 or 25 miles we saw another sign… THE THING 450 miles… 300 miles…. 150 miles…

By the time we got there we had to know what this incredibley amazing Thing was, it just said the thing, no details… so as we pulled up to the gas station and bought our dollar tickets from the cashier we were totally in the dark. So we followed the sidewalk around the back of the gas station and into a free standing garage, oh yes, so worth a dollar, good thing mom opted to wait in the car, we’d never hear the end of it.

We look around at the things hanging on the wall, just junk from the town land fill probably… and then we make it to THE THING. It was a mummy, I think, it might have just been a dummy advertised as a mummy, but whatever… All wrapped in gause and lying in the glass case.

We looked at the mummy for about a minute and then look at my dad who starts laughing. When we get to the car, dad tells mom she has to buy a ticket and go see it. So like him… she refused and back in the car we went…

I guess one of the things that absolutely sums up my fathers approach to life are his theme dinners. Even when I was little he’d pick a place, a movie, or a tv show and cook around that theme. The whole living room and dining room would be decorated up, fried chicken and quilts for Little House on the Prarie… Jumbalaya, jazz music, mardi gras beads and crazy masks for New Orleans. Sombreros, mustaches and Mexican blankets for Mexican night. To my dad, bigger is always better.

The more complex, the more frustrating, but also the bigger payout in the end.

A favorite memory of my dad would have to be when I was from first and second grade, and we lived in Washington state. My mom worked the late night shift at a hospital or nursing home, and dad would stay up to write. This is when he was working on his very first book. Me and my little sister would play at his feet while he wrote, I can just hear his fingers bouncing off the keys… slowing when he had to think through something, and quickly speeding up when an idea came to mind.

I love my dad, and tonight as we go to the midnight showing of the Green Lantern, I hope he knows how much I appreciate him, and really love him. Without my dad I wouldn’t have my sense of humor, my dream big take on life or green eyes. So here’s to you dad… May all your still insanely out there dreams come true this year!